An Attempt At "Balance" re: Religions

[Moai]

There is a thread going about how Christians are seemingly getting an unfair shake regarding the focus of the religious debates here.

 

As there aren't any Muslims posting, I thought that I would start a thread about a few things that devout Muslims are doing.

 

1) Saudi Arabia - A year and a half ago, a woman was riding in a car with a man to whom she was not directly related. She was taken from the car and gang-raped 14 times. The men involved each got five years, and she received a sentence of 90 lashes for being in a car with a man she wasn't related to.

 

Recently, a judge increased her sentence to 200 lashes and six months in jail.

 

2) Saudi Arabia - Two women, who were accused of "promiscuity" were seen leaving a private residence. The morals police beat up their driver, kidnapped the two women and threw them in the trunk of a car. When the car broke down 30 minutes later, the morals police abandoned the car with the women still in back. The police thought that they had been visiting men at the time, but it turns out they were visiting female relatives.

 

3) Dubai - A 15 year-old boy was attacked and raped by three men, one of whom is HIV positive. Alex has come forward after the attack, but may face charges of homosexuality himself.

 

4) Iran - A young woman, seen driving with her fiance (a member of a different Muslim sect than she) is thrown in the street by her uncles and cousins, and stoned to death while people look on and film the atrocity with their cell-phone cameras. Iranian police standing nearby do nothing.

 

I could go on and on, but the point is that all religions are NOT the same with regards to the horrors in this world.

 

I am one of the first to beat the drum about the Inquisition, and address the bizarre beliefs of some Western Christians. All of that said, Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, or Baptists aren't committing atrocities these days.

 

Realize, too, that these boards exist at all, and that we atheists aren't being followed or indicted for what we have posted here. This is, of course, because of the secular nature of our societies, but the fact remains that because of this we in the minority are surrounded by believers who are benign in comparison--to put it mildly.

 

I'd also like to add that the Saudi government donates Korans to our prisoners, and campaign actively in Britain to have those critical of Islam punished. They use our tolerance of different ideas against us, in the hopes of eventually abolishing all opposing views.

 

In Europe, Muslims attack and murder journalists and cartoonists for insulting Islam (which their religion demands, actually) and yet demand free speech rights when attacking the beliefs of others.

 

I am certainly one of the most strident atheists frequenting these boards, but I think it is important to note that even I do not hold all religious belief as equal.

 

On a political note, we need to decrease our dependence on foreign oil IMMEDIATELY. Why continue to give our money to barbarians like this who are actively working to destroy our way of life? Take away their money and let them die on the vine.

 

I await the usual suspects to post and explain how all of this is the fault of the West...

 

Thanks for your attention.

[Topper]

Islam like Christianity claims an exclusivity to truth. That leads to an arrogance and a self righteous attitude.

I have little knowledge of the Quran. the little that I have learned is in contrast to the things that you have posted. In other words People use their Holy books to justify their unjustifyable actions.

Islam in a stage of change. Within their own ranks of the faithful there is a great resistance to any and all change. When Talking on line with a Muslim he pointed out that Most of the radicals in Islam were Arabs. He in turn said the problem was not so much Islam but an Arab problem.

[burning 4 revenge]

Islam like Christianity claims an exclusivity to truth. That leads to an arrogance and a self righteous attitude.

I have little knowledge of the Quran. the little that I have learned is in contrast to the things that you have posted. In other words People use their Holy books to justify their unjustifyable actions.

Islam in a stage of change. Within their own ranks of the faithful there is a great resistance to any and all change. When Talking on line with a Muslim he pointed out that Most of the radicals in Islam were Arabs. He in turn said the problem was not so much Islam but an Arab problem.

Nah, the Koran and the interpretations of the Hadith are full of barbarism and superstition. The extremists are following the examples of their founders, not the moderates. Islam did have a more moderate application is Medieval Spain where culture flourished, but they were eventually overun by fundamentalists from Morocco who applied the ideas of Mohamhed more rigidly.

 

When it comes to Islam Al Qaeda is following the way of the prophet

[Topper]

Nah, the Koran and the interpretations of the Hadith are full of barbarism and superstition. The extremists are following the examples of their founders, not the moderates. Islam did have a more moderate application is Medieval Spain where culture flourished, but they were eventually overrun by fundamentalists from Morocco who applied the ideas of Mohamed more rigidly.

 

When it comes to Islam Al Qaeda is following the way of the prophet

 

I would think that is a matter of interpretation. As many many stream muslims would disagree with that the fundamentalist are true to the teaching of the Quran.

just as main Steam Christians will tell you that that the anti semitics are following the teachings of the new testament.

[burning 4 revenge]

I would think that is a matter of interpretation. As many many stream muslims would disagree with that the fundamentalist are true to the teaching of the Quran.

just as main Steam Christians will tell you that that the anti semitics are following the teachings of the new testament.

There is a book I want to read by Robert Spencer entitled The Truth About Muhammed.

 

From what I know about the book, Spencer makes a pretty good argument that the Koran and the Hadith are pretty clearly advocating violence and dominance over respect and tolerance

[knaveman]

The point of all this is that anyone can make any religion into anything they need, be it Islam, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, or atheist. All humans need is an excuse and maybe a book to wave. The most important part is that Islam will never take over America no matter how hard they try. Muslims don't eat bacon, Americans would die before they became Muslim.

[shadowofman]

I fear the day that Christianity, Judeism, and Islam all realize they are on the same team.

Captain Abraham's theist army.

They will kill us all!

[taiko]

I fear the day that Christianity, Judeism, and Islam all realize they are on the same team.

Captain Abraham's theist army.

They will kill us all!

 

Only if Islam wins the civil war. Unless I missed something only Islam has scriptures which say to give the non beliver a chance to convert failing that put them under submission of the poll tax because they are not paying alums and if they still resist vioent struggle.

[NoIDidn't]

Thanks for the attempt at balance, Moai.

 

It should be noted that even on Christian forums there are attacks on those that don't follow Christianity the same way that others interpret it. The latest in forum arguments is over Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Its quite heated, to say the least.

 

I just find all religious arguing to be pointless. Jesus didn't argue with anyone. If asked, I simply state what I believe and leave well enough alone. I find that making generalized statements about any religion just opens us up to ridicule, especially when we are found to not know as much as we think we have based our assumptions on.

[taiko]

Sudan

You are a teacher of 7 year olds in a Christian school in Islamic Sudan. Afterall Islam is a tolerant faith so it is allowed. Because your school teaches more then just Holy Koran memorization the sons of the upper class tend to attend. Sort of like non Catholics who send their kids to Catholic schools in the west to avoid the public education system.

 

So one day the class names a stuffed bear after one of their classmates. The only problem is that the boy and now the toy was named for the Prophet. The school secretary finds out and takes the matter to her Iman and the stuffed bear affair goes up and down the chain of Islamic thought. A crime has been commited. You allowed Islam to be insulted. You must be whipped and jailed.

 

Noticing international pressure the court orders a token jail sentence and deportation of the blasphamous teacher then thousands of faithful brothers take to the streets in protest they demand execution of the teacher.

 

I don't know how well Sudanese jailers can protect VIP prisoners. If it was the US system and you got "green lighted" you would not walk out of jail alive. After being deported you get to return to Londanistan, where the faithful who survived death and arrest after the transit attacks are available to carry out the popular sentence since the Sudanese government did not.

[sb129]

The woman in question in Taikos post has been sentenced to 15 days of jail in Khartoum, with deportation back to the UK following the end of her sentence.

 

Right at this moment in time, in Khartoum, thousands of Islamic demonstrators are demanding that she be executed for insulting their religion while in their country.

 

In the UK however, while not having to answer to the law of the country, speaking out against Muslims here is ALSO offensive and wrong and causes riots and threats.

 

is a no-win situation.

 

Although, interestingly, I spoke to two Muslims yesterday at work (one Somalian, one Pakistani) and they both thought the whole Mohammed the teddy bear story in the Sudan was ridiculous.